CHILDHOOD ANTIOXIDANTS REQUIREMENT

CHILDHOOD ANTIOXIDANTS REQUIREMENT

The term, free radicals, refers to atoms or molecules that contain one or more unpaired electrons that are capable of altering (usually enhancing) their chemical reactivity and cause tissue damage. These are produced in large amounts during all tissue activities (infection, phagocytosis, tissue injury, ischemia perfusion). Examples of free radicals are superoxide anions, singlet oxygen, peroxide anion, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide.

To counter the free radicals, defenses are provided in the form of antioxidants which are defined as substances in food that significantly decrease the adverse effects of free radicals. Examples of antioxidants are superoxide dismutase, transferring, glutothionine peroxidase, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E(tocopherol), beta-carotene, selenium, zinc, iron, manganese, nicotinamide, riboflavin, and lycopene.

Excess of free radicals results either from their higher production or from inadequate antioxidant defense. Disorder in which free radicals appear to play a significant role include retinopathy of prematurity, Rh hemolytic disease, hemolytic anemia of the newborn, hypoxic-ischemia encephalopathy, septicemia, intraventicular hemorrhage, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, ARDS, necrotizing entercolitis, inflammatory bowel disease, advanced PEM(kwashiorkor), cholestatic liver disease, pancreatitis, iron-overloaded (hemochromatosis) and copper-overload (Wilson disease, ICC)

Recently a number of synthetic antioxidants N-acetyl cysteine. Glutathione, glutathione peroxidase analogue (ebselen), coenzyme Q derivatives and superoxide dismutase are available. These are yet to be successfully tried in humans